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Heart information and support

Life After Cardiac Arrest website

Life After Cardiac Arrest.org is a new resource to help people in Scotland who have survived an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), their families and anyone who has suffered a close family bereavement as a result.

OHCA’s are a significant problem in Scotland. Around 65 people a week will have one. There are more than 3000 cardiac arrests outside of hospital in Scotland every year but only 1 in 20 of those affected will survive. An OHCA can have a huge effect not only on the lives of those who survive but also on their families and friends.

Life After Cardiac Arrest.org provides support, advice and information and includes real stories from people who have been personally affected by OHCA. As well as these personal stories , the resource explores how having an OHCA can affect your feelings, your physical and mental health and your lifestyle as well as dealing grief and bereavement following the death of a close family member.

Jeremy Southam is an OHCA survivor who talks about his experiences in the resource;

I was extremely fit prior to my OHCA. I collapsed while out running one Saturday morning in 2014 and was initially resuscitated by a man who had been driving past. I hope talking about my experiences including what happened on the day I had my OHCA, my time in hospital and the impact the OHCA has had on my life and my family will encourage others to not give up. You have to get back to living as normally as possible.”

Life After Cardiac Arrest.org was funded by Scottish Government and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) following the launch of the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest: a Strategy for Scotland (OHCA) in 2015. It has been developed in collaboration with the Interactive Web Development Team at the University of Edinburgh, with input from a wide range of individuals and organisations.